Apparatus for controlling the maximum flow of fluids



Dec. 11 ,1923. 1,471,244

C. COLLINS ET AL APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE MAXIMUM FLOW 0F FLUIDS Filed Nov. 18, 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 11, 1923. 1,477,244

. M' c. s. COLLINS ET AL APPARATUS rbn CONTROLLING THE MAXIMUM FLOW OF FLUIDS FiledNov 18,1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .s'a'e 6% an e Dec. 11 1923. 1,477,244

v c. s. COLLINS ET AL APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE MAXIMUM FLOW 0F FLUIDS 'Fileq Nov. 18, 1519 5 sheets-sheet 5 @51 abbomem/gf ,Dec. 11 1923. 1,477,244

C. S. COLLINS ET AL APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE MAXIMUM mow 0F FLUIDS File N V- 18. 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 imlV llmnmllm V, A. QJ'Z;

I? l M floessel,

Dec. 11 1923. 1,477,244

C. S. COLLINS ET AL APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING THE MAXIMUM FLOW 0F FLUIDS Filed Nov. 18 1919 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 qwue/vvbow CZarle; 6'. Calling and aw aesse 10 12 z @61 moww /gfl g Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

QWT IQ lf-AEETES helmet Mimi QHARLES Q LIN 9 ,INEW ew N m e ee -Be B; R,0KLY1\T, New tee ABBABATIIS r e em IN THE x exm ELQW OFFLUIDS Application filed Novernber i8, i919. geriatric. 33 8, 3fl1.

To all who-m it may concern.

Be it known that we, (le me S. C LINS, a citizen of the United States, and aresi'clent oi thehorough of the Bronx, county of'the Bronx city and State of New Yorkgand Lows RoEssEL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident "of the h0r0ugh"of Brooklyn, county of Kings; city "and State of NGVi York, have jointly'invented new and useful Improvements iii Apparatus for C 11- trolli ng the Maximum Flowhflilu'ids, of

which the "following a specification This riivehtmnrelates to" anun'iproved method and apparatus forcontrollinglthe maximum flow offiuids and generically considered, has for its object toprovided novel meanstvhi'ch will positively limit the maximum flow er gaseous r liquid fluids through a pipe or conduit. The present improvement also comprehen'ds an' 'iniprovechreg iilamr qr controller of such constiuctionthat the maximum How of the fluid may'lereadily varied Within certain limits. Y

In the practical attainment of the pur' poses of our invention in an efficient and economical manner, We have devised an improved pressure actuated control valve whereby a maxiinum g'ravinietri'c 0i" volunietric flow of the fluid is 'autoiiiatically limited by the difference in pressures at the ingress and egress sides of orifices caused. by the velocityof flow of the fl uid' through the orifice. These pressure differences at opposite sides of the orifice heing due'to the velocity of flow of the fluid throughsaid orifice, it follows that the maximum drop or decrease in pressure is limited and consequently the iiiaximuni velocity of flow through the orifice, then the maximum yollUIIQtIlCl'lOYF of'thefiuid will bethereby liniited. The maximum volumetric flow may he cont rolled an'd varied 'vghen the pressure drop is fixedby var ing.the or lu'mb-er of the (.ii'ifii-es, 6r, if'desired both the pressure drop required to actuate the control valve, as Well as the area and i'iun'iher oftlie orifices may be varied to th'er'ebyob taii'ia greater' ia-nge of "variation'in the maximum flow f't hefiuid; i

With the above and other objects in view,

the invention coiisists inthe improved maximum fluid flow regulatlon and control iiieans,

in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and" subsequently incorp'o'raitedin the subjoined c lairnsf' "In thedra ipg's wherein similar reference characters designate "corresponding" parts throughout the'several views"; and in which We have disclosed several practical embodiliientjs of the n'ia'ximum flow'reguiaiing valve constituting 'aTpart of thfig' subject 'm z itter of thisspecificationj Fig. 1 is" alohgitudinal sectional View through the regulator, showihg'the 'piston valvein its open "osition; Fig. 2 is il-l lill nl ai View illustrating the manner in which the valve is iiiovedto its closed position upon ama-Ximun1" de'orease of pressure at the discharge side q'f "the Fig. 3 is a detail perspective vietv of the i adjustable valve plug showing slightly niodified form thereof;

4 is a sectional View similar to Fig. 1, disclosing another embodiment Jo i our inq A Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the hand valve and tlipiston valve "of he construction illustrated inFigQ i "in their closed positions Fig. 6 is a! horizontal sectional. View taken on the line 6-6'of Fig. 5; i Fig. 7 is a sectional view illustrating another alternative ram of the regulator valve;a-nd' i Fig. 8 is a similar vieivillustrating a further inodifica-tionl'f 'iteferriiiig iifdtailto the drawings and more particularly'toFigs. 1; 2 and'3'ithereof w i h ee'fi'e e e ."i iie 'ed' emb men o .thefluid flow regalatirig' valve which e have found to g'ivetlie nio st sati sfactoi y results in pi'a'oticeh "des'ignates thevalve body "(greasing 'l' aving' l internally threaded liosses o I 6 toRvhich-the fluid conduit or pipe" sections of thesu liply line (not shown) are adapted to be coupled. As herein shoivn, thisvaive body orcasing isflformed withan inter or partition Wall is of mgmarfiorrt 'aiidfat oneoi its ends is joined tethe oi" Wall of the valve ca ing at of 't upwardly extending tubular portion 9. partition wall 7, intermediate of its ends,

downwardly extending tubular portion 8, while the other end of said wall is similarly joined to the upper side of the body wall 5, and at the relatively opposite side of an The has a horizontal portion 10 provided with a threaded opening 11 to receive an adjustable As seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the ad.

justable hollow plug 12 is provided with one or more longitudinally spaced orifices 16 through which the fluid may flow from the inlet chamber or passage 13 of the valve body to the outlet or discharge passage 15 thereof.

17 designates a piston which freely reciprocates within the tubular extension 8 on the valve body 5. This piston is provided with a valve stem 18 which extends upwardly therefrom and at its upper end has a sliding fit in the bore 14 of the plug 12. This valve I stem is formed with an axial bore 19 which at its upper end communicates with the plug bore 14 and at its lower end with the piston chamber 20.

In operation of the regulator as above described, the fluid flowing in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, passes through the inlet passage 13 of the regulator and through the series of orifices 16 in the plug 12 to a reduced pressure in relation to the initial pressure within the discharge passage 15. The fluid under the initial pressure at which it enters the regulator, also passes downwardly through the bore 19 into the chamber 20 beneath the piston 17. Under normal operating conditions, the discharge pressure acting on the upper side of this piston together with the weight of the regulator valve, prevents lifting of the valve under the pressure in the chamber 20, so that the valve will remain in its lower open posh tion as seen in Fig. 1, and the fluid may con.- tinue to flow freely through the orifices 16. When, owing tothe velocity of flow, a decrease in pressure at the discharge side of the orifice occurs, there is a decrease in pressure on the upper side of the piston 17 so that the fluid pressure in the chamber 20 overcomes the weight of the valve and forces the regulator valve upwardly. The upper end of the valve stem 18 will thus close the orifices 16 in the plug 12, and thereby Shut off the flow of the fluid through these orifices.

It will thus be apparent that the maximum permissible flow of the fluid through the regulator will be limited. The pressure dropin the discharge side of the orifice, which is required in order to close the orifices 16, may be varied by varying the weight of the valve or by varying the relative areas of the upper and lower sides of the piston 17, against which the differential fluid pressures act;

fluid may flow from the inlet to the discharge side of the, regulator, may be varied by the adjustment of the plug in the manner above referred to.

The lower side of the piston valve chamber 20 is closed by the cap 21 which is threaded pn the extension 8 of the body of the reguator.

A closure cap 22 is also threaded upon the extension 9 and carries a sleeve 23, the lower end of which is seated upon the wall of said extension. A. manually operable valve 24 is adapted to be engaged. upon a seat 25 formed 1 in the upper end of the bore 14 of the plug 12, said valve being operatively connected to the lower end of a valve rod 26, which has threaded engagement as at 27 within the sleeve 23. This rod may be provided at its upper end with a hand wheel 28 or any other preferred means whereby the valve 24 may be conveniently operated. By means of this manually operable valve, the flow of fluid through the regulator may be cut off at any time.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings, we have illustrated another embodiment of our invention. wherein the regulator valve body 5 is divided by means of the partition wall 7 into inlet and discharge chambers '13 and 15' respectively. The horizontal section. 10"

of the wall. 7 is provided with an orifice 31, I

the inlet side 30 of which, is flared and leads to the enlargement 29 of the orifice, while the outlet side of said orifice is of variable emission area. The outlet side of said oriiice is provided with a seat for the valve head 32 which is connected by the stem 33 to a piston 34 which reciprocates in the tubular extension 8 of the body of the regulator. The

distance of the valve head 32 from its seat when the regulator is fully open as seen in 4, may be varied'by means of the ad justable plug 35 which is threaded within pressure is also transmitted through the by-pas's 38 to the under side of the valve piston. Upon a decrease in pressure in the discharge side of the line, the inlet pressure beneath the piston overcomes the weight of the valve, and thus raises the valve to its seat to cut off the flow of the fluid through the orifice 29. The maximum flow or velocity of the fluid through the orifice may be easily and quickly varied by the adjustmentof the plug 45.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings, another alternative construction is illustrated, and in this arrangement the valve 32 is provided with a stem 33 extending upwardly through the orifice 29 and upon the upper end of this stem, the piston 34? is formed, said piston reciprocating in the fubular extension 9 on the body of the regu ator.

The extension 8 on the lower side of the regulator body, is interiorly threaded to re ceive an adjustable sleeve 49 which is held in adjusted position by means of the look nut 50. Adjacent to its upper end this sleeve is provided with a series of circumferentially spaced orifices 51. The valve 32" is provided on its under side with spaced guide fingers 52 which extend downwardly into the sleeve 49., A by-pass or a bore 53 eX tends axially through the valve and its stem 33 and communicates at its upper end with the pressure receivm chamber 54.

In this last descr bedconstruction, the

sleeve 49 is properly adjusted so as to position the valve 32 at the desired distance from its seat when said valve is in its lower open position. The fluid is therefore free to flow in the direction indicated by the arrows through the orifice 29 over the valve head and around the adjustable sleeve and through the ports or orifices 51 therein to the outlet side of the regulator. The lower side of the piston 34* is subject to the pressure of the fluid before passing through the orifice while the upper'side of said piston is subjected to the outlet fluid pressure which passes upwardly through the bypass 53 which communicates with the interior of the sleeve 49. When the difference in these pressures acting against the opposite sides of the piston, is sufficient so that the inlet pressure will overcome the weight of the valve, the valve will. be forced upwardly toits seat. The decrease in pressure necessary to thus close the orifice being constant, the maximum flow of the fluid may be varied by adjusting the sleeve 49 and thus varying the area of the orifice at its outlet side. The

drop or decrease in pressure necessary to effect the closing movement of the valve may also be varied as in the other instances before referred to by increasing or decreasin the weight of the valve.

d rom the foregoing description consid tion. since it is possible to utilize various other forms of valves, such for instance as the well known truncated cone valve. The automatic control and regulation of the maximum flow of gases or other fluids, is highly desirable and advantageous in numerous industries. Primarily, however, our invention is designed for use in connection with rivet heaters wherein a combustible ga or other heat generating fluid is supplied to the heater. In the use of such devices, the supply hose or tube may be accidentally cut or broken, resulting in an escape of the gas. If the tube is equipped with our present improvements, it will be apparent that if the supply tube or hose should be cut or broken, there will be a reduction in pressure at the discharge side of the regulator orifice and the regulator valve will then immediately and automatically move to a closed position. When the leak is repaired, the regulator will automatically open by the building up of the pressure on the discharge side of the regulator so that the pressure requisite for the operation of the heater will be renewed. It is to be borne in mind that the instance just referred to is which the present invention may be advantageously adapted. Of course, the size as well as the form and construction of the regulator body and its several parts may be varied as the necessities of the particular case may require. Therefore, while we have herein disclosed several practical embodiments of our improved fluid flow regulator, the invention may likewise be exemplified in numerous other alternative constructions, and we accordingly reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

We claim:

l. A maxiu'uun flow regulating valve comprising a. casing having inlet and outlet chambers and an orifice affording communication between said chambers, a hand. valve at one side of the orifice to open and close the same, and a pressure actuated valve at the opposite side of said orifice operated automatically independently of the hand valve by variations in pressur in said inlet and outlet chambers to limit the volume of flow ofthe fluid through said orifice in proportion to the decrease in-fiuid pressure at the outlet side of the valve. I

2. A maximum flow regulating valve comprising a casing having inlet and outlet chambers and an orifice affording communication between said chambers, ahand operated valve for opening and closing said orifice, and a fluid pressure actuated valve operated independently of the hand valve upon decrease of the outlet pressure with respect to the inlet pressure to automatically control the volumetric flow of the fluid through said orifice and limit the maximum flow thereof in proportion to the decrease in pressure at the outlet side of the valve.

A maximum flow regulating valve comprising a casing having a partition wall providing inlet and outlet chambers, a tubular plug mounted in said wall and provided with openings affording communication between said chambers, and a pressure actuated valve having a stem slidable in said tubular plug and provided with an axially extending passage connecting the inlet side of the valve with one side of said valve member, the opposite side of the valve memher being influenced by the outlet pressure, whereby upon a decrease of pressure in the outlet chamber, said valve is operated to control the flow of the fluid through the openings in said plug and limit the maximum volumetric flow of said fluid in accordance with the decreased outlet pressure.

4i. A maximum flow regulating valve comprising a casing having inlet and outlet chambers and an orifice aflording communication between said chambers, means for variably regulating the flow of fluid through said orifice, a valve member controlling the flow of fluid through the orifice, and said valve member having a by-p-ress communicating with the inlet chamber to conduct fluid under pressure therefrom to one side of the "alve, the opposite side of the valve being subject to the pressure of fluid in the outlet chamber, whereby upon a decrease of pressure in the outlet chamber, the valve is moved by the inlet pressure to a closed position tothereby limit the maximum flow of fluid through said orifice.

5. A maximum flow regulating valve comprising a casing having a partition wall providing inlet and outlet chambers, a tubular plug adjustable in said wall and having openings affording communication between said inlet and outlet chambers, said plug being adjustable to vary the flow of fluid therethrough from the inlet to the outlet chamber, and a valve arranged in the outlet dhamber and subject to the pressure therein, said valve having a part operating within the bore of said plug and provided with a by-pass to conduct the fluid under pressure from the inlet chamber to one side of said valve whereby, upon a decrease of pressure in the outlet chamber, the valve is operated to close the openings in said plug and limit the maximum flow of fluid therethrough.

6. A. maximum flow regulating valve comprising a casing having inlet and outlet chambers and a tubular member affording communication between said chambers, said member having a plurality of longitudinally spaced series of openings in its wall affording communication between the bore of said member and the outlet chamber, and a valve operating within said tubular member snb- I,

ject upon one side to the pressure of fluid within the outlet chamber, said valve having a by-pass to conduct fluid under pressure from the inlet chamber to the opposite side of the valve, whereby said valve is moved upon a decrease of pressure in the outlet chamber to close the openings in said tubular member and limit the maximum 1 flow of fluid through said member.

ing as our invention, wehave signed our names.

CHARLES S. COLLINS, LOUIS ROESSEL. 

